junto

Junto is a word in Spanish and Portuguese meaning "together" or "joined." In these languages, its usage spans adjectives, nouns, and prepositional phrases, such as junto a (beside) or estar junto (to be together). The term reflects the Latin root iunctus, meaning bound or joined. In Italian, a related form giunto appears as the past participle of giungere, meaning arrived or joined; in English, junto is usually encountered only as a proper noun.

The best-known English use of the term is as the name of an early American club in Philadelphia. Founded around 1727 by Benjamin Franklin and a group of tradesmen and artisans, the Junto—also called the Leather Apron Club—was a forum for mutual improvement. Members discussed moral philosophy, politics, commerce, and science, with the aim of self-government and civic reform. The club helped cultivate a culture of public debate and contributed to Franklin's broader civic projects. Although the Junto itself was short-lived, its discussions laid groundwork for institutions such as the American Philosophical Society, established in 1743.

Today, the term junto generally survives as a loanword or, more often, as a proper noun in historical contexts. It is distinct from junta, a Spanish word often used to denote a military or political group, and not interchangeable with the everyday sense of togetherness in Spanish or Portuguese.